I. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to roll product finishing machines and, more particularly, to machines which handle a roll of sheet-like material having a loose tail end so that the loose tail end may be glued upon the body of the roll.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In roll product finishing operations, such as those used by the paper converting industry, cants of wound sheet-like material are formd from a large parent supply roll on winding machines and proceed, typically in assembly-line fashion, to machines which glue the loose tail ends upon the cants and which then eject the cants toward wrapping machines.
One problem caused by such an operation is that glue might not be consistently applied upon the loose tail end at a proper distance from the terminal edge the tail. Thus, excess paper might project outwardly from the glue seam and interfere with the operation of the wrapping machines. Also, the presence of excess paper forms an unattractive commercial product.
An associated problem arises when the cant is delivered to the machine having a loose tail end which is partially stuck to the body of the roll, or torn and uneven, or otherwise defective. Such a cant is not in condition for gluing and should be ejected from the machine without the application of adhesive.
Yet another problem is occasioned by the high speed, assembly-line nature of the operation itself, which demands that the glueing operation be performed as quickly as possible and that the cant being glued is ejected in advance of the next cant's arrival. This avoids jamming and the resultant loss of production time.
Attention is directed to the following U.S. Patents which are specifically concerned with roll finishing apparatus:
______________________________________ Ghisoni 3,044,532 July 17, 1962 Henson, et al 3,162,560 December 22, 1964 Tellier 3,393,105 July 16, 1968 Janik 3,553,055 January 5, 1971 ______________________________________
Of the four cited patents, Tellier directly addresses the problem of excess paper projecting beyond the glue seam (col. 1, lines 49 through 72), which he describes as "universal in the paper industry". Tellier thereafter describes the use of a single, continuously actuated photocell unit 162,164 to sense the location of the tail end and thereafter energize the cam-actuated gluing tines 89 and 90 to displace the tail end against the adhesive application rollers 124. A principal feature of Tellier's device is that, during the entire gluing cycle, the cant is being continuously rotated on the drive rollers 27 and 28.
While Hensen does not directly address the problem of excess paper, the reference describes the use of a single, continuously actuated photocell unit 29a, 29b, to stop rotation of the drive rollers 10,11 when the tail end has arrived at a predetermined location for gluing. Henson also discloses the use of a pair of glue guns 30 located on reciprocative trolley carriage members 50 and 70 which are movably mounted on trolley lead screws 51 and 71.
Neither Ghisoni nor Janik are concerned with the excess paper problem, and use single, continuously actuated photosensors 19 and 91, respectively, to stop rotation of the cant, and glue is thereafter deposited on the body of the cant itself. The position of the glue seam in Janik's device is adjustable, inasmuch as the entire glue carriage support frame 117 can be vertically shifted relative to the cant.
None of the above cited references, alone or in combination, teaches or suggests the use of two sensors, one of which is continuously actuated and the other of which is selectively actuated in response to a signal from the first, to insure that the glue seam is invariably properly placed on the tail. None teaches or suggests a means for detecting a cant which is not in condition for gluing. None teaches or suggests the use of a pneumatic, high speed reciprocating glue gun mechanism to substantially reduce the time it takes to glue the tail end. Finally, none teaches or suggests a means for insuring that the cant is ejected from the machine in a timely fashion and in advance of the arrival of another cant. In short, none of the references teaches or suggests a device which is applicable for use in a high production, assembly-line operation.
Attention is also directed to the following U.S. Patents which, while not disclosing roll finishing apparatus, may be considered relevant with regard to certain features of the invention:
______________________________________ Ganzinotti 3,318,262 May 9, 1967 Boxmeyer 3,521,551 July 21, 1970 Martin 3,875,865 April 8, 1975 ______________________________________
Ganzinotti discloses a fluid propulsion device utilizing a pneumatic conduit 9 having a central core 10 and surrounded by a frame assembly 5, 6, 11, 12, so that excessive deformation and deterioration of the pneumatic conduit 9 is eliminated. Ganzinotti also discloses the use of prelocated "actuating zones" for driving, braking and stopping the carriage 37 on the rail 35. Ganzinotti does not teach or suggest a means for eliminating excessive deformation and deterioration of a pneumatic conduit without the attendant creation of friction which impedes rapid acceleration and movement of the carriage. Nor does Ganzinotti teach or suggest a strictly pneumatically controlled acceleration and deceleration system not dependent upon fixed, nonadjustable "actuating zones ".
Boxmeyer discloses the use of two sensors 17 and 19, both of which are continuously actuated and connected in series so that their respective outputs are 180.degree. out of phase. Displacement of a roller member 97 moves core 95 and unbalances the combined output, heretofore balanced, thus creating a voltage output. Boxmeyer neither teaches nor suggests an arrangement whereby one continuously actuated sensor selectively activates another sensor.
Lastly, Martin discloses a trolley carriage which is operatively connected with a continuous cable for movement. Nothing in Martin teaches or suggests the use of the trolley carriage in a fluid propulsion device.